South African company wants to expand meat’s definition

The co-founder of a new cell-cultured food company in South Africa knows that meat is central to the country’s culture, but he feels confident that cell-based products under development by the company will gain widespread acceptance.

Roy Graber Headshot
(Krakenimages.com | Bigstock)
(Krakenimages.com | Bigstock)

The co-founder of a new cell-cultured food company in South Africa knows that meat is central to the country’s culture, but he feels confident that cell-based products under development by the company will gain widespread acceptance.

Brett Thomspon, co-founder and CEO of Mzansi Meat Co., talked about the emergence of the company, which started earlier in 2020, during the Alltech ONE Virtual Experience session, African Entrepreneurs in Action.

Thompson had earlier started a nonprofit group called Credence Institute, where he had done some research that looked at the opinions of plant-based meat alternatives in South Africa. That study yielded some “interesting feedback,” he said.   

Thompson and Jay Van Der Walt, the man who co-founded Mzansi Meat Co. with Thomspon, discovered the need for someone to explore cell-cultured food space in South Africa, despite it gaining steam in other regions such as Europe, Israel, the United States, and to some degree, Australia.

“There was a massive opportunity to start this exciting, exciting technology into the continent of Africa,” he said. “Nobody was seeming to do it in the continent.”

While the company is still in its infancy, Thomspon said Mzansi Meat is moving quickly with the development of products at a lab in Cape Town, which should be ready for “at least a prototype within the next 3-6 months.”

Cultural connection

So much of the South African culture centers around meat, Thompson said.

Friends and families often gather around the fire, to enjoy a barbecue or braai. At Zulu weddings, it is traditional for there to be a slaughtered animal during the procession. Another wedding custom is when a man and woman exchange vows, there is also an exchange of cattle.

Thompson says he understands the meat traditions will linger.

“You can’t come into the space and say that we’ve got to just change people’s mindsets and attitudes and behavior. You’ve got to understand that meat is just such an important part of culture here,” he said.

Meat or meat alternative?

Mzansi Meat wanted to be something with which everyone could associate. That mindset was used when the company chose its name. “Mzansi” is colloquial for “South,” Thompson explained.

Thompson’s vision for the company is not so much about reaching the vegan or flexitarian markets. He also wants to reach those who are meat-eaters, which will require the expansion of the definition of “meat.”

He noted that other players, such as Beyond Meat, have “really shaped the narrative about what a meat alternative is.” However, Mzansi Meat wants a different identity.

“Mzanzi doesn’t want to be seen as a meat alternative. We want to be seen as meat,” said Thomspon. “And where do we want to play within that space? I think that is the key thing that we want to find out.”

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